New rules for entertainment in downtown Mundelein
Businesses offering indoor or outdoor entertainment in downtown Mundelein have new rules to follow.
Effective immediately, sound from outdoor speakers or amplifiers must be no louder than 85 decibels when measured from 50 feet away.
Additionally, outdoor performances are allowed only between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
The village board unanimously amended the town's zoning restrictions regarding downtown entertainment on private property Monday.
The board enacted similar rules for public property, such as sidewalks and the seasonal dining area set up on Park Street east of Route 45, about two months ago.
The newly adopted rules apply to musical performances and other types of live entertainment, as well as to broadcast or recorded shows and music being played in a venue.
The rules were approved the same night the board greenlighted a permit for outdoor entertainment at the Original Sundance Saloon, a bar far from the downtown area that's been involved in a dispute over sound levels from musical performances there.
The permit was issued after the bar's owner agreed to limits on sound levels and performance times, among other regulations.
"Certainly some of the parameters that were considered for Sundance aided in the drafting of the (downtown rules)," said Amanda Orenchuk, Mundelein's community development director. "But it has been on our radar for quite some time."
The board agreed to update rules for outdoor dining and seating areas Monday, too.
Although most of those rules didn't change, some edicts deemed impractical, such as limits on umbrella colors, were removed. Other regulations, such as those for barriers at outdoor dining areas, were reworked to be more practical, officials said.